Me and my fiance are hoping to acquire a 3 bedroom apartment in Downend with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Downend solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or keep our Downend solicitor as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We feel that this is unjust; are we not able to insist that the bank use our Downend lawyer ?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Downend conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
The Downend conveyancing firm handling our Downend conveyancing has identified a difference when comparing the assumptions in the home valuation report and what is revealed within the conveyancing documents. My solicitor has advised that he must check that the bank is happy with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my solicitor’s approach correct?
Your conveyancer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
We are buying a house in Downend. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On the day of competition we have to put money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Virgin Money, do Downend conveyancers face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Downend. I have a mortgage agreed with Lloyds. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.
What tools are available to locate a Downend solicitor on the Skipton Building Society conveyancing panel? I have wheels and am prepared to travel upto 10miles to meet the conveyancer.
Feel free to make use of the search on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of Downend conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have detailed some Downend conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can contact them to see if they are on the Skipton Building Society member panel
We're novice buyers - agreed a price, but the agent informed us that the seller will only go ahead if we instruct their chosen lawyers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a local conveyancer who is accustomed to conveyancing in Downend
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this requirement. Should the vendor require ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated buyer is counter productive. Try to communicate with the sellers directly and make the point that (a)you are genuine purchasers (b)you are ready to go, with finances in place © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you are going to use your own,trusted Downend conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a commission or meet his conveyancing figures demanded by senior management.